Jan. 3, 2014 - 07:10AM
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The commission that could trigger historic changes to military pay and benefits system was granted an extension and will not conclude its work until February 2015, many months after its original deadline.

That means the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is not likely to influence this yearís budget negotiations and decision-making on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon.

The commission was created by Congress last year and tasked with doing a big-picture review of military pay and benefits and in turn providing formal recommendations to Congress on how to potentially overhaul the current compensation system.

With personnel costs coming under growing pressure amid declining defense budgets, the commissionís work could lead to major changes to the way the all-volunteer force is paid.

Initially, the commission was ordered to complete its work by May of this year. But the annual defense bill that was completed in late December extended that deadline by nine months, pushing the final report over the horizon of this yearís legislative calendar.

Changes to military retirement are at the center of the commissionís focus. Congress created the panel to help create momentum for changes that will be complex and politically sensitive.